standardization of records keeping in indian zoos - Central Zoo ...

Time Brand Site
15 Seconds Indented pattern show
5 to 10 minutes Swelled pattern show
5 Days Swelled pattern disappears
1 Month Top layer of skin sheds
2 Months White hair starts growing
3 Months White hair growth complete
Picture 11: Freezebranding on a Przewlaski‟s horse
4.8 TEMPORARY MARKING
Dyes (Nyanzol dye), bleach, paint sticks, spray paint and guns that shoot a ball of
paint are useful tools for temporarily marking animals. Most of these mark the animal
for less than a month or until the next moult, but serve well to mark animals for
veterinary treatment , shipments or specific study purpose.
DISCUSSION
Apart from the above techniques there are other marking methods for
mammals such as ear notching, hot branding and character prints. In context of zoo
animals these methods are impracticable as character prints are not discernable at a
distance and the process is time consuming as the animals have to be immobilized.
For hot branding again animals have to be well restrained, immobilized or
anaesthetized in order to achieve clear brands. Experimaental work suggests that hot
branding causes more immediate pain and discomfort than freeze branding. In
addition hot branding is aesthetically unpleasant, both for the zoo staff and the public.
Although the heat will initially sterilize the wound, the risk of subsequent infection is
higher than some of the less invasive methods of marking, owing to the severity of the
tissue damage and the time required for wound healing.
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